Source : ABC NEWS
There were plenty of tributes to the great Michael Schumacher in Monza last weekend.
Ferrari ran special liveries to honour the seven-time world champion.
Drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton wore one-off racing suits with Schumacher’s logo.
Meanwhile, former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel drove around the famous Monza circuit in Schumacher’s 2002 world championship-winning car.
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But perhaps the best tribute to Schumacher last Sunday was the performance by Mercedes gun Kimi Antonelli.
In a season of magical moments for the Formula 1 championship leader, Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix victory was the stand-out performance.
At the start of the race, Antonelli lined up 19th on the grid due to a grid penalty and looked certain to have what was a 59-point lead in the championship reduced.
By the end of the race, he was standing on the top step of the podium, hoisting the winner’s trophy as the first Italian to win the race in 60 years, and extending his gap to teammate George Russell in the drivers’ championship to 66 points.
It was a monumental win, and one that has the 20-year-old in pole position to become the youngest F1 champion in history.
Kimi Antonelli was paraded by his fellow Italians after winning his home grand prix at Monza. (Getty Images: NurPhoto/Andrea Diodato)
But what made Antonelli’s win so impressive was the manner in which he did it.
He made 26 overtakes during the race, first taking the lead on lap 18 of 53, then chasing again when he took a pit stop with 24 laps remaining.
He passed rivals with precision, race craft and sheer pace, and it drew comparisons to Schumacher from a man who once went wheel-to-wheel with the legend.
Juan Pablo Montoya, winner of seven F1 grands prix which all came during Schumacher’s dominant years with Ferrari, says Antonelli is so quick that rivals are not bothering to battle him on track.
Juan Pablo Montoya (left) battled Michael Schumacher (right) for many years in F1. (Getty Images: Clive Rose)
Speaking on F1 TV’s post-race program after Antonelli’s win in Monza, Montoya specifically pointed out the difference between how Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished third, battled hard against Russell for the lead of the race but put up less of a fight with Antonelli.
“Something that was incredible was how easy he was passing people,” Montoya said.
“It’s a little bit [like] when I raced with Michael Schumacher. When Michael was coming through, people would get out of the way for Michael.
“And people are doing that [now]. They know Antonelli is going to get you, they’re not even bother about fighting with him.
“He [Verstappen] ran Russell forever. When Kimi came it was completely different … and it was the right thing to do.”
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There are nine or 10 grand prix weekends left this season, depending on whether F1 will be able to race in the Middle East at the end of the year.
Antonelli’s lead in the drivers’ championship is a whopping 66 points, almost double the lead Oscar Piastri had over Lando Norris (37 points) with nine race weekends left in 2025.
Piastri would suffer a form slump at the end of 2025, finishing 13 points behind Norris, and 11 points behind Verstappen who was a staggering 104 points adrift of the Australian with nine weekends remaining.
Kiwi to continue racing for Red Bull
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson will race for Red Bull for a third consecutive weekend while Frenchman Isack Hadjar continues to recover from a fractured wrist.
Lawson, who was promoted to Red Bull from Racing Bull for the first two weekends of 2025 before being demoted back, will be Max Verstappen’s teammate in Madrid for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Hadjar has missed the previous two races in the Netherlands and Italy after suffering a wrist injury during F1’s mid-year break.
Lawson finished seventh in the Netherlands, and 14th in Italy after starting from the pit lane.
“After racing for the team in Zandvoort and Monza, Liam will continue to drive alongside Max at this week’s Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid,” a statement from Red Bull read.
“The decision has been taken as Isack’s recovery continues to progress positively. While he is not yet ready to return to the cockpit, he will be in Madrid supporting the team.”
Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced Lawson in 2025, will again fill the Kiwi’s seat at Racing Bulls.
ABC Sport will have a live blog of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix from 9pm AEST on Sunday, September 13.
